Chapter 40 - Ran into a Thief

“Sit down.” said Wu Jitian only after he cleaned the bench with his handkerchief.

Dong Ling was moved, but she still looked calm and gave a wee smile.

“This is a very famous tea-stall in the capital. His Highness will enjoy some cold tea every time he passes by.” said Lin Zang. He sat down by the table with three bowls of cold tea before Dong Ling realized it.

She took the tea and replied, “Oh, I’ll have a try and enjoy it!”

“Sure! Aha. Enjoy yourself! We can afford it!”

The taste of the cold tea pleased Dong Ling, which made Lin Zang very happy. Wu Jitian also stared at Dong Ling smilingly. However, it was hard to tell what he was thinking of.

When they three were enjoying the leisure time, there suddenly came a cry of a woman!

“Somebody! Help! Thief! He stole my purse!”

Then a man in black ran quickly past the tea-stall with a nice purse in his hand! The woman, who had been shouting for help, couldn’t catch up with him at all. She stopped and just watched desperately!

“Stop! You thief!” yelled Dong Ling when she used Qing Gong and ran swift to the thief!

The thief looked up and was surprised to see a girl! “Since when was there such a strong girl?” thought he.

But he wasn’t anxious. Normally, a girl wouldn’t be as strong as men. Therefore, he lifted his foot and kicked at Dong Ling! He thought Dong Ling would never manage to dodge.

Unexpectedly, before he even touched Dong Ling, the latter crushed him on his shoulder and his arm was nearly broken!

“Great! But please let me go!” begged the thief.

He knew he met a hard nut. He had no choice, but to beg Dong Ling for mercy.

Dong Ling smiled, but didn’t answer. And she didn’t stop fighting the thief, either.

She attacked him harder, leaving him no chance to breathe. She turned around and punched him in the face! The thief failed to dodge! The purse in his hand was thrown up into the air.

Wu Jitian saw it. He jumped up, caught it and returned it to the woman.

Having thanked him again and again, the woman left with her purse.

Seeing that, Dong Ling didn’t want to make a big thing out of it in case she would get into bigger trouble. She intended to let go of the thief, so she slowed down.

Unfortunately, the thief didn’t realize that Dong Ling was going to let him go. Instead, he thought Dong Ling was beginning to flag! And he hated it when Dong Ling interfered with his theft! He pulled out a dagger and stabbed her!

Dong Ling didn’t expect that at all!

Consequently, she failed to dodge and her arm was scratched by the dagger, bleeding!

“Ah!” she yelled gently.

The pain on her wound stopped her and she fell on the ground.

“Miss Dong!” Lin Zang saw that and shouted.

He rushed to get Dong Ling up and helped her sit on the bench. As he looked back, he found that Wu Jitian had run after the thief.

Wu Jitian was good at Qing Gong. In less than ten minutes, he returned with the captured thief.

“How would you like to punish him?” asked Wu Jitian coldly.

He sat back on the bench and had some tea, as if he just did something usual.

“Sir! Please spare me! Madam! I won’t ever do that again! I have a sick daughter to look after. I didn’t have a choice, but to steal things!” begged the thief again!

He was no longer arrogant, but knelt on the ground and trembled! Before Dong Ling said anything, Wu Jitian took out a dart from his sleeve and threw it at the thief.

It shot the thief in the throat. He fell and died even before he managed to shout for help!

“Wu Jitian! Why did you kill him?” asked Dong Ling in anger.

She had meant to let him go. In such turbulent days, he must have been forced to steal things! It was wrong! But he needn’t have been killed!

“But he hurt you.” replied Wu Jitian. He didn’t expect Dong Ling to react so intensely! This made him uneasy.

“But he didn’t have a choice. You could see that he wasn’t good at martial arts. He must have been forced to steal things! Why didn’t you give him a chance to correct himself?” asked Dong Ling.

She looked at the thief’s body and thought of what he said before he died. Her heart was softened. And she felt that Wu Jitian was too rash.

“Do you really trust him? Didn’t you see the slogan of Xiongnu (an ancient nationality in China) on his dagger?” asked Wu Jitian.

He couldn’t believe that Dong Ling misunderstood him so much! He then explained, “He might be a spy of Xiongnu. And he takes a dagger with him. He must be a bad guy!”

“Even though he’s a bad guy, you could have taken him back for interrogation.” yelled Dong Ling. She was so excited that the wound on her arm was bleeding again.

“Come! Let me wrap it for you.” said Wu Jitian.

Seeing Dong Ling’s angry face, his heart melted. He tore a piece off his robe and bound up her wound. He didn’t look angry at all. Instead, he looked quite gentle.

Dong Ling blamed Wu Jitian for killing the thief, but she didn’t refuse his offer. She put her arm out straight.

Wu Jitian gave a bigger smile when Dong Ling was so obedient.

“Fine. Let’s go home.” said Wu Jitian when he finished wrapping Dong Ling’s wound. He reached out to get her up, but the latter snorted and stood up by herself. She walked in front of Wu Jitian and Lin Zang.

Wu Jitian and Lin Zang looked at each other and shook their heads with a sigh before they followed her.

Back at Wu Jitian’s mansion.

“You’re back, Miss Dong.” said the butler.

He walked up to welcome her as soon as he saw her.

Dong Ling nodded gently and went back to her room directly, without waiting for Wu Jitian.

The butler was left, dumbfounded.

“Your Highness. Lord Lin.”

As Wu Jitian entered his house, followed by Lin Zang, the butler walked up again.

Wu Jitian looked as usual. If more carefully observed, he even looked chuffed.

“Make some rose cookies for Miss Dong!”

Wu Jitian gave an order to the butler after he thought about it for a few minutes.

Dong Ling liked the rose cookies most. She always ate them! Wu Jitian just wanted to make her happy.